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Crown Jewel Countdown?

Any plans on having a CJ countdown this year? I always look forward to reading the breakdown of the class each year.

"If you aren't fired with enthusiasm, you will be fired with enthusiasm." ~Vince Lombardi

"Anthony Grant could've beaten us tonight by 80," he said. "The fact that he beat us by 40 was a class act, and I appreciate that." ~ Toldeo head basketball coach Tod Kowalczyk after an 83 - 41 loss to Alabama on 1/3/11

Re: Crown Jewel Countdown?

Re: Crown Jewel Countdown?

Mod pickings are getting slim around here.

* Let me clarify this statement to mean that there are few Recruiting board mods and it may take a while. Phone went haywire momentarily, I didn't think this posted.
Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 2

Last edited by AlexanderFan; February 11th, 2013 at 01:43 PM.
Reason: clarification, so as not to appear to be taking a shot at the mods

Crown Jewel Countdown?

We're doing it. Can't promise exactly when but we're doing it. May make more sense to do it closer to the season once we know who all is on campus

"I didn't come to Alabama to win 10 games a year and be a contender. I came here to win championships. Conference championships and national championships. I love it here because that's just not what I want, but what this fanbase expects."
--Alabama Head Football Coach, Nick Saban

“Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish on it’s ability to climb a tree, it will spend it’s whole life believing it is stupid.” — Albert Einstein

Re: Crown Jewel Countdown?

For those unfamiliar (or for those too lazy to do a search), here's a recap of our Top 7 from last year's class. Some of these guys have outperformed their rankings already. The bold number is how many stars we ranked them. The number in parentheses is where we ranked them among their class.

Overview: Post Julio Jones , Collins is clearly one of the more college-ready prospects to sign with Alabama . He's as versatile as he is polished . Landon chose Alabama over LSU and countless others .

What he brings: Landon is a determined , physical safety who enjoys contact yet is equally as adept in coverage as he is against the run . While Collins is very aggressive , he is a highly disciplned player who seldom finds himself out of position . Collins combines great closing speed with outstanding vertical hops to break up a lot of passes . Does this not sound a lot like Mark Barron ? While he's obviously an exceptional safety , Collins was also a very successful running back in high school and earned all-state honors at both positions .

2012 Outlook: Collins will definitely play this season and is likely to be just as effective covering kicks as Vinnie Sunseri was in 2011 . Beyond 2012 , the combination of Sunseri , Clinton-Dix and Collins will be second to none on the college level . And if a rash of injuries were to deplete the running back position , if pressed , Collins would be more than adequate . He averaged 14 yards per carry in high school .

In case any Tide supporters were wondering when Alabama will manage to find another Mark Barron , he's already here . Any differences between the two are no more than minuscule .

Overview: Another signee who makes the game look easy . Also another newcomer with 3 years and on to the NFL type talent . Ragland looks poised to join the line of recent greats from what has now become the new "Linebacker U" . Reggie signed with Alabama over offers from virtually every BCS level program in the country .

What he brings: He's an intelligent player with a well rounded game who works hard at his craft . He has a great combination of size , speed and athleticism . Ragland does a good job of reading offenses and quickly plugging gaps . He runs well enough to handle assignments in space along with enough size and quickness to pose problems off the edge . Pretty good tight end and basketball player too . It's not only talent , but maturity and intangibles which made Ragland a respected leader in high school . Will he play up to his potential and become a team leader in Tuscaloosa ? If so , Ragland will soon be in the mix when annual listings for Butkus Award finalists are released and could eventually end up immortalized with his prints in cement at Denny Chimes .

2012 Outlook: While he's still relatively thin for his height , something unforeseen would have to fall from the sky in order for Ragland not to see his share of action this season .

As much as I tried to avoid making this comparison , due to his unfortunate issues off the field , you can't help but to think of Rolando McClain when viewing Ragland in action . His build is practically identical to that of McClain when he first reported back in 2007 .

Overview: Obviously Daphne coach Glenn Vickery is doing something right when two of his former players manage to wind up in our final 4 . Yeldon was a major recruit on the national scene who pretty much drove a stake through the heart of Auburn football late last December when he enrolled early at Alabamna after having been committed to the Tigers for months . Florida , Arkansas and Clemson were also in the mix , to some extent , for his services .

What he brings: As is the case with fellow runningback signee Kenyan Drake , Yeldon has an upright running style . TJ is a larger back though . Much like former NFL superstar Eric Dickerson , some would say he is almost oddly tall for his position . His vision and cutting ability are exceptional . He's not a bad blocker , especially for a player who was seldom asked to do so in high school , and his hands are more than adequate . Yeldon is neither the toughest or fastest back , but he is a very complete package . Our only concern , a slight one , is his tendency to rely a little too much on his hurdle move . As a high school senior , Yeldon averaged nearly ten yards per carry against the highest level competition in Alabama .

2012 Outlook: Yeldon was very impressive during the Spring and will see a lot of meaningful action this season . We're expecting TJ to account for no less than 500 yards of total offense as a true freshman and if Eddie Lacy continues to have difficulties overcoming his prolonged battle with turf toe , Yeldon will be well on his way to becoming a "3 and done" type starter by no later than mid-October .

While he's not quite as physical , fans will see flashes of Bobby Humphrey when Yeldon hits it up inside . In space , he has the hands , vision and smooth glide of Shaun Alexander .

Overview: A relentless leader who plays every snap as though it were his last . Anderson chose Alabama early on over Florida State , Tennessee and Illinois . He was also a major factor in luring Daphne teammate TJ Yeldon away from Auburn .

What he brings: Anderson was the unquestioned leader of his defense in high school where his quickness and endless persistence won out against a lot of double teams over the past 3 seasons . With a motor that never stops and an excellent first step off the edge , opposing blockers will have their hands full and are in for a lot of long Saturdays . His dogged backside pursuit can be equally as contagious as it is impressive . Some are a little concerned over his lack of ideal height and limited experience in coverage , yet the same concerns were voiced when Courtney Upshaw was signed . Obviously things ended up working out well for Upshaw and there is no reason not to expect similar success from Anderson .

2012 Outlook: There is no doubt that Anderson will play this season . Having enrolled early and posting a solid showing during the Spring , Ryan looks to enter Fall camp as the third option at JLB . As long as Adrian Hubbard and Xzavier Dickson are healthy we are not likely to see much of Anderson , other than kick coverage , but he will be ready and very capable if pressed into an expanded role earlier than anticipated .

Ryan is similar in stature to former Tider Eryk Anders , but his overall game is much more in line with that of his cousin and former Alabama standout defensive end Wallace Gilberry .

Overview: The wait is over and he's finally here . Now , we can only hope his unlimited potential will be reached . Belue originally signed with Alabama when he was a 2010 high school senior over Auburn and Southern Miss .

What he brings: It's no secret that he has amazing raw ability . Coach Saban has been giving him extra attention to help him get up to speed with proper technique and the results were evident during Spring practices . Belue made an impact in every scrimmage creating turnover after turnover . One of which resulted in a 97 yard return for a score . Deion is no slouch as a return specialist either .

2012 Outlook: Spring practice came to an end with Belue running 2nd team as a punt returner behind Christion Jones as well as seeing some action on kickoff returns . As a defensive back , if he's not starting , Belue will be no less than a 3rd corner this season . We'll see a lot of him this Fall .

Deion has the build , athleticism and scrappy type of confidence which will remind fans of former NFL and Alabama corner Fernando Bryant .

Overview: Cooper was a late riser on the recruiting circuit and continued to open a lot of eyes with his performance on ESPN during their Under Armour All-Star telecast . He's already turned the heads of teammates too . The Tide finished on to top ahead of Florida State , Miami and Ohio State .

What he brings: There's a lot to like . Cooper is so smooth that the game often looks effortless to him . You would almost think that he's playing less than wide open . He's not . Amari already runs great routes and is sure-handed in tight coverage . He has quick "late" hands on deep passes so corners are rarely aware of the ball until Cooper already has it . He uses his body like a basketball player to fend off defenders when fighting for the ball and is excellent at finding holes in coverage . Handles jams and gets off the line well too .

2012 Outlook: Cooper enrolled early and quickly climbed up the depth chart . He will play as a true freshman and he will play well . TideFans believes he will eventually become an excellent number one receiver no later than his junior season and could be a star in the making .

It's not easy to come up with any direct comparison for Cooper , but you can see a little bit of Quincy Jackson in him .

Overview: Smith was easily one of the better man to man high school cover corners in the country this past season . Geno committed to Alabama prior to his senior season over a number of schools including Georgia , Georgia Tech , Florida , Arkansas , Florida State , Clemson , Notre Dame , Southern California and Stanford .

What he brings: His skills and awareness are excellent . Smith will definitely need to hit the weights , but seldom do you find players on the high school level who will arrive on campus as polished and advanced . He's a fluid player with great hip rotation who can really stick , turn and run to lock a receiver down . A real glue factory opponents can't seem to shake from their hip . He makes great breaks on the ball and gets a lot of jumps from reading the quarterback .

2012 Outlook: We feel for Smith to become the top flight SEC corner he seems destined to be , he’ll need to bulk up in order to deal with the caliber of receivers he'll be matched up against in the SEC as well as the overall physicality of the college game . A redshirt season is possible , and would make sense , but we feel Geno will likely see action covering kicks on special team this season .

Once Smith adds a little more size , many of you will remember the days of former Alabama standout defensive back Tommy Johnson . He's always around the ball .

"I didn't come to Alabama to win 10 games a year and be a contender. I came here to win championships. Conference championships and national championships. I love it here because that's just not what I want, but what this fanbase expects."
--Alabama Head Football Coach, Nick Saban

“Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish on it’s ability to climb a tree, it will spend it’s whole life believing it is stupid.” — Albert Einstein

Re: Crown Jewel Countdown?

Thanks for the info. I knew I was early, but really didn't remember it being pushed all the way back to spring ball. Guess I got more caught up in the haul from signing day than I realized.

"If you aren't fired with enthusiasm, you will be fired with enthusiasm." ~Vince Lombardi

"Anthony Grant could've beaten us tonight by 80," he said. "The fact that he beat us by 40 was a class act, and I appreciate that." ~ Toldeo head basketball coach Tod Kowalczyk after an 83 - 41 loss to Alabama on 1/3/11

Re: Crown Jewel Countdown?

2012 Outlook: Cooper enrolled early and quickly climbed up the depth chart . He will play as a true freshman and he will play well . TideFans believes he will eventually become an excellent number one receiver no later than his junior season and could be a star in the making .

....Or midway through his freshman season.

Watching the outstanding season highlight video over on the football board (check it out if you haven't yet) his performance as a freshman was as good as it gets.

Lee

"A long way," he said after being asked how far the Crimson Tide had come since Coach Nick Saban arrived three years ago. "I guess you could say it's the distance from Shreveport to Pasadena."
Mike Johnson